Bella Egan’s “Between What Was and What Is”

Photography can be therapeutic for the person behind the camera, but photographer Bella Egan also discovered her camera could be used to improve relationships within her family. When she started shooting the work for “Between What Was and What Is”—her final project at International Center of Photography, where we met for a portfolio review—Egan was apprehensive. She has what she calls an “intense” relationship with her parents, and in the series, she explores the “highs” and “lows” of their bond. But she found her parents and brother to be willing subjects, and it opened a dialogue that she continues with this ongoing project.

“Between What Was and What Is” refers to the space between things: the three states she’s lived in (New York, California and Georgia), her relationships within her family, and her identity and projected identity. Throughout the work, she includes reflections in mirrors and family photographs, shaping the different ways in which her subjects can be viewed. And, by keeping the setting within the house, Egan emphasizes the privacy of family life behind closed doors.